Safety device for oil wells



Dec. 15 ,11925 E.'DORMAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR O IL WELLS Fi ed Dec. 51,1923 "2 s eets-sheet a gwum Mozfirm Patented D... .15, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDWARD DORMANLOF HOUSTON, EXAS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OIL WELLS.

Afiplication filed December 31, 1923. Serial No. 683,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, EDWARD DORMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain newand useful Improvementin Safety Devices for Oil Wells, of

which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to a safety device for use on the upper end of thecasing employed in oil wells, said device being designed.

to shut off the flow of oil from the casing either when the drill stemis in the well, or when it is removed.

. An object of the invention is to provide a means for closing the upperend of .the casing in case of a-blow-out, and it is particularly desiredto operate the device for this purpose from a distance in case of fire.I

It is another object of the invention to so construct the device that itmaybe easily operated to close thewell entirely where the drill stem hasbeen removed, or toclose the space outside of the drill stein where thedrill stem is being employed.

Other objects and advantages, and the means whereby they are secured,will be more fully set forth in the specification which follows:

i 39 Referring to the drawing herewith, Fig.

1 is "a top plan view of the upper valve and its operating means, therod and the nut thereon being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the lower valve with certain parts in section forgreater elearness. Fig 3 is a front elevation oi. the threaded block bymeans of which the valves. are operated. Fig. 4 is a central verticalsection through the valves and their housing shown as attached to thecasing.

Fig.5 is. a brokenfront view of the gear" housing, Fig. 6 is'a detailedView illustrating the connection between the gears and their shafts.-Fig. 7 is a central vertical section through a gear housing which maybe'substituted 'for that shown in Fig. 4:, and- Fig. '8 is a section onthe line of 88 of Fig. 6. Like numerals of reference designate likeparts jin all views.

In carrying out my. invention, I secure in the casing at a point justabove the ground a housing for two separate valve members-by means ofwhich the upper end ofthe casing may be closed when desired. The housingis mounted upon a nipple or coupling l having a threaded socket 2 bymeans of which it is screwed upon the upper length of easing 3. Thisnipple as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is of larger diameter above the casingthan-in the said casing, and is flattened along one side 4, as shown indotted lines. The radial lugs 5 on the outer margin of the nipple areadapted to' register with similar lugs upon the housing'6 above thenipple, and bolts 7 passing through these registered lugs are adapted tosecure the'housing firmly upon the nipple. The upper end of the housingis formed with a threaded opening 8 therein, by means of which a shorterlength of easing may be secured thereon, as desired.

I desire to use my invention to shut off the flow of oil or gas from awell where it has blown in suddenly audit, is particularly desired tooperate the device where the well has caught fire as it blows in- Ifthedrill stem has not been removed from the well at the time of theblow-out, and also if the force of the blow-out does not itself removethe drillstem, I provide an upper valve to close the casing within thehousing about the drill stem. This valve and its operating means isshown particularly in Fig. 1. There are two sector-sha ed plates 9adapted to interfit at 10 w en closed. Each plate has on its faceadjacent the other plate, a semi-cylindrical opening 11 to fit about theparticular size of drill stem 12 which is employed. These plates arepivoted -at'13 upon an upright the housing. As shown in Fig. 4,- one oftheplates has its pivoted end reduced in diameter at 15 to fit betweenthe forked end of the other plate so as to form a hinged connectionbetween the two valve plates.

These plates are operatedto close an opening 16 in the partition 17 ofthe housing .by means oftwo links or arms 18, 18'

.pin or shaft 14 extending vertically through' a threaded nut or block23 or 23, the c0n struction of which is shownparticularly in Fig. 3. Thenut or block 23 is moved toward or away from the pipe 12 to open orclose the space above the opening 25 in the nut, and has a bearing 26 onits-inner. end which is rotatable within a stationary block 27 securedto the housing as shown in Fig. 4. [The outer end of the shaft has ahearing .at 28 within the outer end of the shaft 32.. It is desired thatthe shaft 24 upon which the gear-30 is mounted shall berotatable underordinary circumstances only. in one dlrectlon so as to close the valve9. L.This is accomplished by mounting the formed with notches orgrooves51 therein and'spaces m the gear are'rccessed to pro-- stem.

gear 30 rota'tably on the shaft and forming a ratchet connectionthereto, as shown in Fig. .6. The shaft adjacent the gear is vide ahousing for pawls 52 which are pivoted in saidrece'ss and free tomovetherein. There are four of the notches 51 in theshaft, and four.co-operating pawls on said gear to fit therein. As shown in F ig.- 6,these pawls will slip on said shaft when the shaft is rotated in aclockwise direction, and will engage said-shaft when it is rotated inopposite direction. Itis therefore.obvious that when a" gear is ro-'ta-ted in. a counter clockwise direction, it

will engage the. shaft and rotate the same.

Mounted in'a chamber 33 below the upper valve-chamber are two pivotedvalve plates 34 similar in general construction to the valve plates 9,except that they have no opening 12 therein to fit about the drill Theirforward faces have a tongue and groove connection to make a tight litwith. eaclrother to prevent the passage of fluid upwardly through thehousing. Said plates 34. are pivoted upon the pin14, as are the othervalves, and are operated by means of links 18, 18 engaging in nuts 23,23, and operated upon a threaded shaft 36,

similar in all respects to the upper valve and its operating means. Theouterv end of the shaft 36 has a bearing at 37 within the housing, andhas on-its forward end a gear 30' identical with that shown anddescribed relative to the upper shaft 29. The ratchet engagement betweenthe shaft 36 and the gear 30' is the same as was previously described,except that the gear is brought into operative connection with the shaftwhen the operating crank shaft 32 'isrotated in the opposite direction'The idea of this arrangement is that when the crank shaft 32 is rotatedin onedirection, it will close one set of valves and when rotated in theopposite direction, will close the other set of valves. It will thus be.possible with one crank to close either set of valves desired, dependingupon whether the drill stem is still in the hole, or whether it has beenremoved. It is contemplated that the shaft 32, by means of whichthevalves are operated, may be eXtended'for some 'dis- .nection withanother gear 41 mounted upon with the connectim ears 45 and 48 as istance from the well so that in case of fire the valves may be closedwithout a pproach-' ing within danger. 1

It will be obvious that thepurpose of the valve has been performed whenthe flow of fluid has been stopped and the fire has been extinguished.With the arrangement of operating gears herein described, the valves maybe opened only by removing the front plate 39 which houses the gears,and sliding the central shaft 32 and its gear 31 from its position, andthen independently rotat, ing the shaft 29*or shaft 36 by a directconnection with the ends thereof, using the gears thereon as'handles.

It is sometimesadvisable to arrange for the operation. of the shafts 2iand 36 in a direction to open the valves while the operator is at somedistance from the well, and whose this is desirable, the operating means30 shown in Fig. 7 may be substituted for the means shown'in Fig. 4 Inthis form, the shaft 24 will have on its forward end a beveled gear40,"whieh has operative con-- avertical shaft 42 within thehousing.Shaft 42 has a bearing at 43 within a bracket 44, and extends below thesaid bracket and has thereon a second gear 45 adapted to mesh with agear 46 on a shaft '47 at right angles thereto, said shaft 47 projectingbeyond the housing and serving as a crankshaft in the samemanner asdoesthe shaft 32 previously described. The forward end of the shaft 36has thereon a gear 48 which may be brought into an engagement with asimilar gear 49' onthe shaft 471 'lhesaid shaft 47 is slida-blehmgitudinally in the honsingso as to bring the'gears 46 and 49 into orout of operativeehgagement desired. It is to be noted that but one ofthese sets of co-operating gears will be in engagement atone time. Thns,when it is intended to operate the. shaft/24- the' shaft 47 will beforced inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 7, in'which position theshaft 24 may be operated in either direction. \Vhen it is desired torotate theshaft 36, the shaft 47 is moved longitudinally outwardbringing the gear 49 into engagement with the gear 48 so that shaft 36-may be operatedin either direction. The operation of my device will benow apparent. When either of the valves is to be closed, the shaft 32will be operated in such directionas to close the valve desired, and asthe shaft is rotated, the block 23 will 'be forced forward on thethreaded shaft to .move the valves into closed position. ..It

housing will be entirely prevented, and if the-well has taken fire, thefire may be easily extinguished thereafter. When the well has thenbeenbrought'under control,

resumed. Openings .50 in the'casmg head allow the connection of pipesthereto by means of which oil may be rawn oil while the valves9 or 34are closed. Y

The advantages-of his construction ,will

be apparent to one skilled in the art without further. descri tion.

What I claim as. new, and desire, to protect by Letters Patent-is:

1. In a deviceof the character described, a well casing, a housingthereon, a valve therein comprising two interfitting, coopcrating,arcuate plates pivoted on a common axis to swing toward or awayfrom'eachother -to close or open the passage from said casing throughsaid housing, a threaded shaft in said housing, a nut on said shaft,-

links connecting said nut and said valve plates, and means to rotatesaid shaft from a distance 2. In a device of the character described, a,well casing in which a drill stemmay operate,ia'housi'ng thereon havinga passage therethrough from vsaitlica'sin means to close said passagewhen'said "positioned therein, separate means I to close (passage whensaid-drill stem is. 136 i said last'mentioned meanscompriS- ingsector-shaped valve plates pivoted on a rill stem' is said move

. about said drill stem, a slid' I connecting said block and sai valves,and

common. axis and means to close said "lates operative from a distanceinclud ng a lock,

a-shaft having threaded engagement-with I saidblock, and links;connecting said .block the valves may be opened and operationsandsaidplates, l 3. In adevice. of the character described, a well casingpahousin thereon having an opening therethrough r, a drill stem, and meansjtoclose the-space in saidhousing about said drill stem, comprising apair of sector shaped valve plates shaped to fit a shaft "having anabutment bearing in said casing and having threaded fenga ement withsaidblock toadvance or with rawit 'to close or'open said valve.

4. Ina device of the character described,

block, links a casing, a hon singi ther'eon, two" sets of valves 1n saidhousing, one adapted to close said casing about a pipe and the otheradapted to close said casing where no pipe is present, a block for-eachsetof valves slid-able in said housing, links connecting each block withits valves, threaded shafts connected with said blocks and a rotatable ocrating shaft connected to said threaded siafts to ioperate' onenbyrotation in one' direction and to operate the ,othershaft by rotation inthe opposite direction.

In testimony'w ereof Ihereu'ntoaflix my" signature this 28th'day ofDecemben- A. D.

1923.. 1 -EDWARD 'DORMAIL-

